A thermoelectric element (thermoelectric device) is an element in which both ends of two different types of metal or semiconductors are joined together and the temperature differences caused at the both ends are used to develop electromotive force, that is, Seebeck effect is used to convert thermal energy to electric energy. When a semiconductor is used to manufacture a thermoelectric element, a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor are combined. Organic materials are used as thermoelectric materials to manufacture a thermoelectric element. In conventional thermoelectric property characterizations of organic materials, TOS (para-toluenesulfonic acid ester) is used as dopant to PEDOT (Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)).
Related techniques are described in the following non-patent document 1.